Engine construction



Deb. 9, 1930. MacFARLANE 1,784,192

ENGINE CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 9, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet lIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII x w I n \9 a v I '"1 i I t}.

N N t N INVENTOR A TTORNEY Dec. 9, 1930. A MaCFARLANE 1,784,192

ENGINE CONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 9, 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 (AZVENTORATTORNEY 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR TTORNE Y A. D. M FARLANE ENGINECONSTRUCTION Filed Aug. 9, 1929 Dec. 9, 1930.

Patented Dec. 9, 1930 UNITED STATES ARTHUR n'MACFARLANE, or LOS ANGELES,CALIFORNIA ENGINE CONSTRUCTION Application filed August 9,

This invention relates to improvements in engine constructions.

The principal object of the present invention is to produce a devicewherein the power of the engine is increased by causing an additionalnumber of explosions without increasing the speed of the engine.

Another object is to produce an engine of this character withoutmaterially altering the details of construction of an ordinary internalcombustion engine;

Another object is to produce an engine wherein the basic principlesremain the same and a device wherein the cost of manufacture is nominal.

A further object is to provide means whereby the operating mechanism islocked when thrown out of operative position.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of thefollowing description.

In the accompanying drawing formin a part of this specification, and inwhich like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout thesame,

Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away of an engine having myinvention thereon and showing the piston near the bottom of its stroke,

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1 showing the crank shaft at thebottom of its stroke and the piston at the top of its stroke,

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary detail view showing certain parts incross section and in retracted position in order to better illustrate myconstruction,

Figure 4c is a view similar to Figure 3 with the exception that theparts are in extended position,

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 4 andshowing the locking mechanism, and

Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 66 of Figure 3.

The ordinary four cycle internal combustion engine requires two completerevolutions of the crank shaft foreach explosive stroke, while the twocycle engine employs an explosive force for each revolution of the crankshaft. Each of these engines have good 1929. Serial No. 384,731.

points, and it is to utilize the good points that I have devised meanswhereby the four cycle engine may become a two cycle engine in that anexplosion occurs at each revolution of the crank shaft therebyincreasing the amount of power for each revolution derived from the sameengine.

In accomplishing this object I employ a connecting rod extending betweenthe crank shaft and the piston which connecting rod is of suchconstruction that at a given point on the downward explosive stroke,rollers carried upon the connecting rod engage a cam and through theactuation of these rollers upon the camthe connecting rod is caused tobecome elongated which forces the piston upwardly while the crank iscompleting its downward movement. As the crank starts to move upwardlythe rollers still traveling in the cam will cause the connecting rod tobe shortened thus drawing in a new charge to be compressed upon thecompletion of the upward crank shaft throw. The cycle being that foreach explosion there is first a downward movement of the piston, then anupward movement of the piston to exhaust the burned gases, then adownward movement of the piston to draw in a fresh charge, and an upwardmovement of the piston to compress the fresh charge. This will all occurduring the complete revolution of the crank shaft.

In the accompanying drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration isshown a preferred embodiment of my invention, particularly referring toFigures 3 and 4, it willbe noted that the numeral 5 designates thecustomary cylinder within which a piston 6 moves. The crank shaft isdesignated at 7 and has the usual offset to which the yoke 8 of thecrank is connected. The construction thus far described is identicalwith that found in the ordinary engine.

The connecting rod extending between the piston 6 and the crank 7 isconstructed of a plurality of sections, the lowermost section beingdesignated by the numeral 9 and has extending therefrom and slidable inslots 11, rollers 12. These rollers are adapted to r0- tate in cam slots13 formed upon cam members 14 secured to the sides of the crank 7.

der to prevent this rod 17 from turning, I employ a locking pincomprising three sections 19, 21 and 22. The section 22 has a spring 23mounted therein which engages a plug 24.

The operation of this locking pin will belater seen. I

Within the lower section 9 of the connecting rod is a sliding bushing 26which is interiorlythreaded so as to be engaged 'by a threaded head 27of the rod 17. It will be noted that the threads on the members 27 and18 are right and left, the result being that the bushing 26 keyed as at28 to the section 9 of the connectingrod will cause the bushing 26 tomove to or away from the crank 7 depending upon the direction ofrotation of the rod 17.

A fixed bushing 31 is carried in the upper end of the rod 9 and hasrotatably positioned therein a threaded rod 32 having a head 33 which isalso threaded but in an opposite direction to the thread 32. This heaengages a. thread 3 1 formed in the upper portion 36 of the connectingrod which upper portion is keyed to the piston 6 and isslidably keyed asat 37130 the lower section 9. The operation of my device is as followsAssuming that the parts are in the position shown in Figure 1, therollers 12 will just be entering the cam slots 13, at this time the endof the section 19 of the locking pin will engage a cam surface on thecam 14 (see Fig ure 5) and will force the end of the locking pininwardly thus pushing the sections 21 and 22 against the spring 23. Thiswill result in the unlocking of the rod 17 which will now be free torotate. As the rollers 12 travel upwardly in their cam slot, that is,away from the crank, rotation will be imparted to the rod 17 through thethread 18 engagin its thread in the lower section 9 and as this rotationtakes place the bushin 26 will be forced upwardly, which will causerotation of the threaded rod 32 and its head which will in turn causethe upper. section 36 of the .connecting rod to move away from thecrank. By the time the crank has reached the lowermost position ofFigure 2, the rollers 12 have reached the upper movement in the cam slotand at this time the piston has moved from a point near its lowestposition of travel, to its uppermost position and will have exhaustedthe burned gases. As the crank shaft rotates the rollers 12 will now beforced downwardly retracting the parts which the crank shaft has had achance to start upon its upward movement. Consequently, this gas whichis sucked in on the downward movement of the piston will be compressedready for firing as soon as the crank has reached its proper positionupon the upward stroke.

As soon as the rollers pass from their cam slots, the locking pin willagain be actuated so as to prevent any movement of the parts until theyare again ina position to be actuated.

It is to be understood that the form of my invention herewith shown anddescribed is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and thatvarious changes relative to the shape, size, material and arrangement ofparts may beresortedto without departing from the spirit of theinvention, or the scope V of the sub oined claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a device of theycharacter described the combination of a piston, a crank shaft having anoffset formed therein, av connecting rod extending between said pistonand said crank shaft, said connecting rod comprising sections, threadsformed in said sections, and means carried within said sections andengaging said threads whereby said connecting rod may be lengthened orshortened during the rotation of said crank shaft, said means includinga rotating rod having threaded extremities, means for moving said rodlengthwise of said connecting rod, said means comprising a pair ofrollers actuated by acam in the manner described.

2. In a device of the character described the combination'of a piston, acrank shaft having an offset formed therein, a connecting rod extendingbetween said piston and-said crank shaft, said connecting rod comprisingsections, threads formed in said sections, means carried within saidsections and engaging said threads whereby said connecting rod may belengthened or shortened during the rotation of said crank shaft, saidmeans including a rotating rod having threaded extremities, means formoving said rod lengthwise of said connecting rod, said means comprisinga pair of rollers actuated by a cam,

and locking means for preventing rotation ARTHUR D.- 'MAOFARLANE.

